RE Interceptor owner adds a Kawasaki Ninja 1000 to his garage: Review

Loads of torque available from as low as 2000rpm. It never skips a beat even at lower speeds in higher gears.

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Like most teenagers in India, my passion for motorcycles ignited at a tender age. The journey commenced with a 2012 Royal Enfield Classic 350, affectionately dubbed 'Pokkhiraj,' which faithfully accompanied me for over seven years. Transitioning from humble bicycles to that 350cc behemoth opened up an exhilarating realm of possibilities. Whether it was a daily commute to the office, sudden weekend getaways, local errands, or border-crossing adventures, Pokkhiraj stood as a steadfast companion, never faltering in its reliability. In an era where reliability and Royal Enfield rarely shared the same conversation, I was fortunate enough to experience a completely trouble-free ownership. My entire motorcycling philosophy centered around touring and exploring new places on two wheels, and Pokkhiraj effortlessly met all my expectations. Through some of the most unforgettable rides of my life, this motorcycle proved to be an extremely reliable companion. Here are some of my fondest pictures from the past decade (mostly 2017-2019)

Pokkhiraj at Gurudongmar Lake

Somewhere on the old silk route

Zuluk

Zero point

Enroute Manang village in Nepal

Pokkhiraj parked next to Kali Gandaki River in Lower Mustang, Nepal

Lower Mustang, Nepal

'Motovlogging' was just catching up back then and I had purchased a Noise Action cam before my first ride to Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim. Needless to say the video quality was really bad. However I managed to compile few clips into a small video.

Right before our Nepal trip, I upgraded to a Hero 7 black. This was one of the first videos shot using that camera which still works pretty well even after 5 years of torture !

Fast forward to 2013 - Kawasaki had just released the Ninja 1000 in India (in a parallel universe). I remember seeing it in an advert and I instantly fell in love with it. So much so that my wallpapers changed overnight. Alongwith that a tiny dream was slowly beginning to take shape in one corner of my heart which was still ruled by long stroke thumpers. As I clocked up more kilometres on the saddle, the itch for an upgrade finally showed up. Pokkhiraj used to feel strained at speeds over 100 kmph and the brakes seemed to have a mind of their own. Both these conditions were not exactly desirable for our unpredictable roads and I started looking out for a new motorcycle with a basic set of requirements - i) it should hold 100-120kmph comfortably on the highways (with some amount of power reserved for quick overtakes) ii) it should have good brakes with ABS ii) it should be comfortable & reliable on long trips. The Duke 390 and Dominar 400 looked very promising at first but then the rumours about Royal Enfield’s Twins started pouring in. The confirmation arrived when Royal Enfield unveiled them at EICMA 2017, completely captivating me with the notion of a parallel twin from a brand I had come to cherish over the past five years. Stellar reviews ensued and a test ride of the Interceptor in December 2018 sealed the deal for me (especially after hearing the captivating exhaust note). The familiar dug-dug-dug thump gave way to a matured rumble, which was simply music to my ears. The acceleration, a revelation for someone accustomed to a mere 19 horses, defied all expectations of a Royal Enfield. Following a patient wait of 4-5 months, the long-anticipated delivery of my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (affectionately nicknamed 'Nemo') marked the inception of a new motorcycling chapter. Pokkhiraj and Nemo coexisted amicably for a while but I found myself reaching for Nemo’s keys much more frequently. Eventually I had to part ways with Pokkhiraj.

D-Day

My job demanded frequent travel between Hyderabad and Kolkata on weekdays, leaving me with precious little time to indulge in weekend rides. Witnessing Pokkhiraj sulking in a corner became unbearable, prompting a difficult decision. Ultimately, we opted to entrust the keys to an extended family member who was actively seeking a pre-owned Bullet/Classic 350 at that time. This decision stands as one of the worst that I've ever made till date, and I still find myself yearning for the companionship of Pokkhiraj. Nemo came in at a very strange time in my life. The number of weekend rides were steadily declining due to other priorities and then Covid hit. In the first 6 months I had added about 6000km to the ODO and then the kilometres simply refused to add up. Post Covid, the travel situation improved a bit and I resumed rides once again. Nemo brought me immense joy. The engine was absolutely marvellous and a long weekend ride to Vizag-Araku-Chitrakoot Waterfalls-Koraput from Kolkata allayed all my fears with the new engine. It effortlessly munched up miles without breaking a sweat and that enabled me to cover 1000+kms on a single day. I was thoroughly impressed with the braking performance especially on wet roads. Thanks to Google Photos, I could find some pictures from that monsoon ride

Nemo with my brother's D400

Vizag

Chitrakoot Waterfalls in August 2019

I wanted to introduce Nemo to the Himalayas, which led to the formulation of a long weekend plan to revisit Gurudongmar Lake.

Like all mortal beings, motorcycles are also flawed. I was ready to look past its flaws (foot-peg positioning, pathetic stock seat etc.) but one thing was proving to be a nightmare. Those stock Pirelli tires mounted on spoked tube type rims were ‘nail-magnets’ and with every puncture, I was getting closer to the tipping point. In 5 years (and counting) of ownership, I have had 5 punctures and all of them have been nightmares. I learnt to remove and refit the tires but still a single puncture could cost you an entire day ! With every puncture, I had to replace the tube and again fill in tire sealant which was proving to be a costly affair. I was eagerly waiting for a set of alloys from Royal Enfield to save me from this dire state but that wait seemed to continue for weeks, months and eventually years.

Enroute Gurudongmar Lake

Near Thangu Valley

During this time, I had to relocate to Bangalore as part of a Return to Office mandate. This provided the opportunity to organize several rides around Bangalore with Nemo and a group of like-minded fellow riders. Everything was progressing seamlessly, HOWEVER.

The thing about power (and torque) is that one can never seem to have enough of it. Although Nemo was adequately equipped for Indian roads, the desire for something superior emerged around the fourth year of ownership. It's not that I had grown weary of Nemo, but rather, I found myself yearning for a machine that offered greater power and comfort on the highways—something that could last me a really long time. Like any other motorcycle purchase, my dream bike came with a set of expectations. It needed to be really fast and comfortable on highways, considering my predominant use for touring. Reliability was also a non-negotiable criterion. Even before setting these expectations, my heart (and my mind) consistently conjured up images of the iconic green Ninja 1000. While some might argue that big bikes aren't suited for Indian road conditions, I was convinced that the formidable N1k was, in fact, the most pragmatic superbike one could own (and live with) in India. I started watching all the available videos on YouTube and read every thread on Tbhp on the N1k (hats off to Karthikk for logging every single detail about his ownership experience).

In 2020, Kawasaki introduced an upgraded model with additional features such as a quickshifter, cruise control, TFT dash, and more. However, each time I looked at that sizable mobile screen of a display and the less-than-appealing exhaust of the upgraded version, my thoughts inevitably reverted to the 2018/19 model. Its remarkable analog tachometer, revving gloriously to 13k rpm, and the aesthetically pleasing symmetric four exhausts seemed to have won me over. Mentally, I was prepared to exercise patience and diligently search for a well-maintained, pre-owned version of the earlier model instead of opting for the new generation. This also made a lot of financial sense because the new one was nearing 16L on road with the bare minimum accessories like frame sliders, radiator guard etc. And thus my search began. I connected with BHPian boniver who has been my go-to person for anything remotely related to bikes. He has worked his magic on a couple of two strokes and gave them new lives. You just have to approach him with a query and he will make sure that you walk away with a machine that you're insanely thrilled to own ! Boniver and I instantly started working on gathering all the leads, fixing test rides etc. I wanted one with low mileage (<10k kms), single ownership and authorised dealership service records. As it turns out the N1k isn't very popular in the pre owned market. I got two options in Kolkata and one in Bangalore. Bhpian octane1002 also chimed in and helped me immensely on this quest. However, something or the other kept cropping up and we couldn't finalize any of them. Bangalore had two options and I managed to meet with one of the owners. He seemed pretty decent and agreed to meet me at the Kawasaki service centre with for a quick check up. But this bike was MH registered, had run around 11k kms and was under the second owner. It was within the 8L budget I had in my mind and I was ready to move on to the next step.

During this time, I received a sudden call from boniver one evening, informing me about another bike situated in HSR with low mileage. Without hesitation, I contacted the owner and rushed to his residence for a brief inspection. The initial information sounded almost too good to be true – the bike had been meticulously maintained at the Kawasaki service centre, had a single owner, and boasted around 2.5k kilometers on the odometer. The owner turned out to be a pleasant gentleman who had initially purchased the bike for touring but had to set aside his passion due to work commitments. After a brief conversation, he brought it up from the basement and parked it in front of me – a 2019 Emerald Green Kawasaki Ninja 1000, the motorcycle that had occupied my thoughts for the past 10 years. Upon thorough inspection, I couldn't identify a single flaw with the bike's exterior. He suggested verifying the service records with Mr. Unni from Rideventur Kawasaki, and upon confirmation of the service history, we delved into negotiations. He was expecting around 9.5L for that pristine condition and I instantly offered him 9. However, the deal remained unresolved as another buyer from Kerala was scheduled to inspect the bike the following day. Returning home with a sense of unease, I reconsidered the situation. Not willing to risk losing this particular motorcycle, I contacted the owner once again and revised my offer to 9.2 lakhs. While boniver wasn't thrilled with my negotiation skills, he acknowledged that if I genuinely admired the bike, a slightly higher price wouldn't be a hindrance.

Two days later, I reached out to the owner, who indicated that he was still awaiting an offer from the other party. A week passed, and with each passing day, it felt like the deal was slipping away. Encouraged by boniver, I made another call to the owner. He informed me that he was just about to reach out, and he had accepted my offer. We virtually shook hands and discussed the extensive checklist of items to be examined before the ownership transfer. I immediately contacted boniver, who promptly sent me a helpful checklist of all the required documents. It was hard to believe what I had just accomplished, but a sense of joy overwhelmed me. Sleep eluded me for the next couple of nights; every time I closed my eyes, the resonant hum of that four-cylinder engine played in my ears, and an uncontrollable grin adorned my face. The financial transactions and paperwork were finalized in the subsequent week, but the process of name transfer encountered an unexpected hurdle with the Vahaan portal. Despite the bike having an active Own Damage + Third Party insurance, the portal erroneously indicated that it had expired the previous year. The Kawasaki showroom personnel were brought into the discussion and they managed to resolve the issue after a couple of days. Although the initial agreement was to hand over the keys only after the completion of the name transfer, owing to delays from the RTO and my escalating anxiety levels (considering I had already made the full payment with nothing to show for it), the owner suggested a workaround. He proposed creating a brief delivery note with a disclaimer typed out on a stamp paper, allowing for the handover of the bike along with all the relevant documents. Eagerly embracing this solution, I promptly headed to his residence. He had already taken it out from the basement and positioned it near the entrance to his apartment. The afternoon sun in Bangalore beamed brightly, casting a radiant gleam on the emerald green tank. Swinging my legs over the saddle, I immediately felt comfortable manoeuvring the substantial motorcycle. I took it for a brief spin around his compound, thanked him, and then headed back to my residence. As I hit the Outer Ring Road, the traffic was reaching its peak during office hours, and I doubted my ability to navigate through the congestion. The initial 5 minutes were challenging, but gradually, it felt like I was riding with a very familiar friend. The radiator fan was operating at full speed, yet the heat wasn't uncomfortably directed towards my legs. The weight of around 240 kilograms seemed inconsequential while in motion. It took me nearly 1.5 hours to cover a mere 15 kilometers that day, and it was almost evening when I finally arrived home. My mother was waiting for me patiently and she instantly developed an affinity for the motorcycle!

Happy Happy Happy !!

Nemo's new garage mate Ikigai

I have added ~7000kms in the last 5 months during my ownership. Here are some of my favourite and not so favourite bits.

Favourites:

• Lovely 1043cc, Inline four motor that produces 142 bhp & 111Nm.
• Loads of torque available from as low as 2000rpm. It never skips a beat even at lower speeds in higher gears.
• The exhaust note is a beautiful booming sound which sounds even sweeter once the tachometer creeps past 4000rpm. The intake howl is something that I look forward to on every ride !
• Brilliant suspension ensures you don't feel any imperfections on the road. It feels like an SUV with low ground clearance.
• The full power mode is just bonkers. I mostly keep it in Low power mode (~70% power) while riding inside the city
• Decent fuel economy of 22-23 km/l on the highways with consistent 110-120 km/h cruising.

Not so favourites:

• 130mm ground clearance is simply too low for Indian roads. Before adjusting the preload, I scraped the underbelly of the catcon at 4-5 speed breakers.
• It attracts a lot of attention due to the bulky green tank which is a curse in India. I avoid taking it to places where it will be parked out of my sight simply for this reason. In the quest for photographs, few people have sat on the bike and instantly lost balance while trying to remove the side stand. Thankfully I could save the bike in these instances but I shudder to think about 'what if' conditions.
• Although cushioned well, the rear seat is small for an adult. For two up touring Versys 1000 remains the most comfortable option.
• I wish it came with backlit switches
• Slightly longer turning radius (~10 feet)
• Service interval at every 6000kms seems short and the labour charges for Kawasaki are on the higher side as well.

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